FOX UK Snaps Up UK Rights To ‘Backstrom’, Eyes September Premiere

FOX UK has closed a deal with sister company Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution to acquire the excusive first run UK broadcast rights to Fox’s short-lived drama series Backstrom, TVWise has learned. The show will kick of its 13 episode run on FOX UK this September.

Developed by Bones creator Hart Hanson, Backstrom is a subversive and comic crime procedural about Detective Lieutenant Everett Backstrom, an unhealthy, offensive, irascible – albeit brilliant – detective who is brought back from exile to run the Portland Police Bureau’s Special Crimes Unit (SCU). The drama series is produced by 20th Century Fox Television and Far Field Productions and stars Rainn Wilson, Genevieve Angelson, Dennis Haysbert, Page Kennedy, Kristoffer Polaha, Beatrice Rosen and Thomas Dekker.

Backstrom has had something of a storied history. The series was initially developed by Hart Hanson and 20th Century Fox Television for CBS for the 2013-2014 season, but Nina Tassler and her execs passed on the project. It was only then that Fox took it in, slightly re-developing the show with a number of re-castings, ultimately launching it this past season. Backstrom was unable to pull in sizeable ratings, however, and was cancelled in May, after it had wrapped its 13 episode freshman season.

FOX UK’s deal for the show comes after the recent LA Screenings, where, alongside showcasing their new offerings, the studios re-pitched shows from the 2014-2015 season after they failed to sell to several key markets, including the UK. This also marks the second deal that the channel has closed for a major network show in the past month, after they agreed a multi-year deal for Marvel’s Agent Carter. That show, from Disney Media Distribution, premiered on FOX UK to strong overnight ratings, averaging more than 250K viewers.

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